Academic rigour and challenge

1. Academic rigour and challenge A hidden story… Is the blue wall the back wall or the side wall? Both are possible! What can you see?

2. Session 1: Classroom culture Academic rigour and challenge • Key objectives: • To identify why academic rigour and challenge are whole-school priorities. • To explore how we can foster a classroom culture which promotes challenge and develops a growth mindset in students. • To create a personal plan to implement new strategies.

3. Aims: • Teacher Learning Communities are opportunities to reflect on individual teaching practice, discuss new strategies, share new ideas, create personal action plans for improvement and track a focus group of students to measure impact. • The aim of this process is to provide ongoing professional development and improve the quality of your teaching and learning. • The format: each meeting will include: • A reflection on the previous focus – WWW / EBI. • Outline of the new key focus. • New ideas and strategies to apply in lessons. • Sharing and discussing of thoughts and ideas – please be prepared to share! • A personal action plan of how new ideas are going to be implemented. • Informal peer observations to see each other in action. Teacher Learning Communities

4. Academic rigour and challenge – a whole-school priority School development plan 2017/18 Outcomes for students : To embed a culture of academic challenge where all students, regardless of background or starting point, are supported to realise their potential and achieve more than they ever thought possible. Effectiveness of leadership and management: To be unrelentingly ambitious in our collection dedication and sustained effort to all areas of school life where all enjoy and thrive within our community. Quality of Teaching, Learning & Assessment: To secure high standards through a consistent approach to teaching and learning that is academically rigorous, challenging, engaging, creative and inspiring to all learners. Personal development, behaviour & welfare: To further foster an environment where our students grow to become confident, resilient, self-assured learners; feeling safe, secure and supported in all areas of school life.

5. Academic rigour and challenge – a whole-school priority Our Ofsted report (June 2015)

6. How do you provide opportunities for academic challenge? How can we foster a classroom culture where challenge is encouraged? How can we develop a classroom culture where students want to be challenged?

7. Think of an ambition, a goal or anything that you have achieved in any domain (professional / career, academic, sporting, hobby etc) • Identify how you achieved this. “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: first, hard work; second, stick-to-it-iveness; third common sense.” Thomas Edison. We need to ensure our students understand this!

8. Carol Dweck Growth Mindsets How can we foster a classroom culture where challenge is encouraged? How can we develop a classroom culture where students want to be challenged? “There is no relation between students' abilities or intelligence and the development of mastery-oriented qualities. Some of the very brightest students avoid challenges, dislike effort, and wilt in the face of difficulty. And some of the less bright students are real go-getters, thriving on challenge, persisting intensely when things get difficult, and accomplishing more than you expected.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s&list=PLCzbDeMuW0Llc9FtV0M0ebuu344c74DnV

9. Classroom culture Shifting focus… student view • We must teach students that: • Their intelligence is not fixed, it can grow – there is no limit to skills or knowledge. • To grow intelligence you must be motivated from within – intelligence will only grow if you maintain high levels of interest and motivation.

11. Classroom culture Shifting our focus… Intrinsic motivation is ‘motor of intelligence’ Carol Dweck.

12. Classroom culture Praise the behaviour, not the child. Praise the process, not the product. Praise the learning, not the performance. Perfect praise… Talk the talk – subtle changes in language make a big difference • Talk more about learning and less about work. • Word tasks as a ‘challenge’ – can you….? • Use ‘challenge’ instead of ‘extension’ – “feed my mind, not my time”

13. How can we create a culture of curiosity? • Routinely encourage students to ask questions and praise them when they ask, give students post-its to pose questions on, create a ‘wonder-wall’ where students can post questions – show them that it’s ok not to know the answer, don’t be afraid to tell them if you don’t know the answer! • Use ‘thunks’ and ‘riddles’ as starter activities, ask students to come up with their own! • Use the ‘meta-menu’ to get students thinking about thinking!

14. Top tips • Encourage curiosity – praise and encourage questions (use post-its or a ‘wonder-wall) • Use ‘thunks’, riddles and the ‘meta-menu’ to get students thinking. • Praise effort, resilience, risk-taking and the process of learning. • Set short-term micro-goals which allow students to see progress and experience success. • Use mistakes as learning points – routinely ask students what they learnt from their mistakes. • Word tasks as a challenge: “can you…?” • Work hard to make students understand that their intelligence can grow – take the time to talk to those students who say they “can’t do it” or “I’m not good at it…” – use “not yet.”

16. Next steps… Now set yourself some targets, which you will reflect on at the start of the next session. • Before our next session: • Plan to informally observe another member of the TLC • Begin to identify students to track to measure impact